This seems to be a familiar subject and extrapolation of a Pete Townsend song. It's illustrated this blog before. According to www.songfacts.com, "Pete Townshend wrote this song about a revolution. In the first verse, there is an uprising. In the middle, they overthrow those in power, but in the end, the new regime becomes just like the old one ("Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"). Townshend felt revolution was pointless because whoever takes over is destined to become corrupt."
Townsend said in a Rolling Stone interview that, "It's interesting it's been taken up in an anthemic sense when in fact it's such a cautionary piece."
Today's extrapolation is driven by the Washington Post piece, (carried in the Oregonian), "Reports rip White House's response to BP spill." It seems the Obama administration "failed to act upon or fully inform the public" of the worst case scenario. Their underestimation delayed action on a response to the spill. The article quoted one of the reports, "the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent top handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem."
Great.
It's not like the current president and his administration haven't done anything. They have. He and his staff have accomplished a lot, in a short time, especially considering the adversarial climate in Washington. By the same token, the previous administration also accomplished a lot... let's see, they initiated an unprovoked war with Iraq, committed war crimes, created one financial disaster after another (including cutting taxes for the rich). Oh, and Dick Cheney was a disaster all his own. That's all behind us, right? The left plays the blame game–-and an accurate one--but who cares? They're as full of shit as the right... maybe more so. The right makes no claim to utilizing intellect. Melodrama and scare tactics are their ticket. The left is more disingenuous by claiming compassion, representing the "people" all the while bending over backwards and taking it up their collective ass, seeming to be thanking their rapists.
The Gulf disaster truly is Obama's Katrina, just like the right said early on. At this point, I really don't care what else he has accomplished. His administration's response to the reports was to minimize, and in some cases, flat-out deny the findings. Where have we heard this before?
The thing that makes this report so disheartening is that it completely feeds into the right's initial criticism. "Hope and change," they jeer, like some taunting chant at a baseball game.
So, what's left? (pardon the pun). A massacre is predicted for the mid-terms. The president has proven to be much less of a concern because of his color or foreign birth than for his same-old same-old. Really. I can't exactly turn to the dark side and start chatting up half-governor Palin or Newt. From the frying pan and all that. Really... what's left? If we gong the incumbent, what will replace him?
I don't know.
Not that long ago, we heard chants of "anybody but Bush." That "anybody" appeared to be somebody special. A charismatic, unifying agent of change... hope and change. Now that "anybody" doesn't seem to be working out.
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